In the field of pharmaceutical equipment, it has been previously proposed to outfit prescription drug bottles with means for providing audible messages to visually impaired users who may otherwise struggle to properly identify the particular medication disposed within a given bottle.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2013/0110516 discloses an audio system that is incorporated at a bottom end of a pill bottle. During a programming step, the audio system receives audio data from a programming unit that uses text-to-speed synthesis to generate audio data based on text data received from a pharmacy computer terminal. However, the placement of the audio system at the bottom of the pill bottle means that the bottle must be lifted up to gain access to an actuation switch on the audio system that triggers the audible message. If a conventional screw-on or snap-on lid of the bottle is not properly seated, or becomes lost or misplaced due to its detachability from the bottle, inversion of the bottle into a position enabling access to the switch could result in spillage of the container contents.
U.S. 2014/0081649 similarly discloses a talking label for a pill bottle that uses a voice-recorded message in one embodiment, and a text-to-speech conversion solution in another. The illustrated embodiments disclose a relatively bulky label attached to the bottle's circumferential wall, while the disclosure also contemplates mounting of the label in an integrally molded pocket of a customized bottle, or configuration of the talking label as a disk-shaped unit incorporated into a recess in the base or lid of the bottle by way of a snap-fit, interference fit or adhesive application. In addition to the already mentioned potential drawbacks of mounting the audible unit at the base of the bottle, mounting the unit to the removable cap of a conventional pill bottle could result in advertent loss of the audible unit in the event the cap is misplaced.
Neither of the forgoing references provide a solution for reminding the user of scheduled dosage times according to the prescribed dosage regime, or for cross-checking potential conflicts with other medications, food or allergies. Additionally, each reference relies on a programming unit separate from the audio unit, thereby requiring purchase of an additional piece of equipment by the pharmacist, and requiring that the audio unit be removed from the bottle and engaged to the matingly configured programming module in order to reprogram the audio unit. Additionally, each reference lacks a rechargeable power source on the audio unit, therefore requiring removal of the audio unit from the bottle for either disposal of the unit or replacement of the battery upon depletion thereof.
In view of the forgoing shortcomings of the prior art, there remains room for improvement.